


A Little Life

by mytinystars



Series: Figure Skating Slices of Life [5]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alpha Lee Hoseok | Wonho, Alpha Lee Jooheon, Alpha Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Figure Skaters, Beta Lee Minhyuk, Beta Yoo Kihyun, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mentioned Bangtan Boys Ensemble, Mentioned Kwon Jiyong | G-Dragon, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mpreg, Omega Chae Hyungwon, Omega Im Changkyun | I.M, Parents Chae Hyungwon/Lee Hoseok | Wonho, almost forgot to do a/b/o lol, but please let me know if there's any grammar or spelling mistakes, excited minhyuk is excited, hyungwonho are excited to be parents, hyunwoo is a dad, its really not that bad, kihyun is a mom, minjookyun are nervous wrecks about being uncles, please, the first part is unbetaed because we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21586519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mytinystars/pseuds/mytinystars
Summary: RinkmatesThursday, December 3rd, 2:42 AMWonhoe: Wonnie said to tell Kihyun to bring the 'pink blanket he likes with the polka dots' and 'don’t bother showing up without it'Onehunnit: I can see the headlines: Godfather not present at the birth of the Greatest Child Ever because half-asleep 30 year old forgets ‘That Blanket’Minhyukie: Fricking heck I’m not ready to be a fatherEomma: Minhyuk this isn’t even your babyMinhyukie: PUH-LEASE KIHYUN THIS IS EVERYBODY’S BABY
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon/Lee Hoseok | Wonho, Son Hyunwoo | Shownu/Yoo Kihyun
Series: Figure Skating Slices of Life [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531790
Comments: 24
Kudos: 110





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hihi so by popular demand, this is the story of Hyungwon and Hoseok's journey to parenthood! This will be a two chapter fic. I hope you enjoy pregnant Hyungwon

Hyungwon is awake for all of two seconds before his body alerts him as to what's wrong. He feels his stomach rising in his throat and pops off the pillow, unintentionally throwing Hoseok to the side in his haste to run to the bathroom.

He slams into the bathroom and hunches over the toilet, gripping the porcelain basin with white knuckles as he brings up the previous night’s dinner. He struggles to take shuddering breaths in between vicious bouts of sickness, too preoccupied with being sick to really register what's going on. He feels like he's on autopilot and the loss of self control freaks him out much more than the actual vomiting does.

There's a lull in the vomiting during which he pants for air. He jumps when a big but gentle hand settles itself on his back and he glances in the mirror to see Hoseok standing behind him. His eyes are narrow in worry.

“Are you done?” Hoseok asks, tired but not unkind. He's big and soft. A gentle giant.

Hyungwon opens his mouth to answer but then lurches back over the toilet bowl, retching. Hoseok shifts to crouch next to him, rubbing his back with one hand and using the other to keep Hyungwon’s long, fluffy black hair out of his face. He stays with Hyungwon the entire time he's sick, expelling everything in his body until all he's doing is dry heaving helplessly over the bowl.

“Love, I think you’re empty,” Hoseok remarks after a little bit of silence. Hyungwon nods and sits back on his heels.

Hoseok stands and wets a washcloth under the faucet before cleaning Hyungwon up a little bit. The younger stands on shaky legs; Hoseok comes to support him. Despite being a little shaky, Hyungwon feels okay now. Not hungry, but not really nauseous either. He feels a little better now that he’s emptied his system, but he's still tired and kind of shocked. He was perfectly fine last night, what changed?

Hoseok cups Hyungwon’s cheek, using his thumb to wipe tears of exertion from Hyungwon’s eyes.

“How are you feeling?” He asks, gentle and caring and warm.

“Tired,” Hyungwon mumbles. Hoseok combs his fingers through Hyungwon’s hair and a purr rose from his throat. “Want to go back to bed.”

“I’ll call Namjoon and tell him we won’t be coming in today,” Hoseok says as he leads Hyungwon back to the bedroom.

“Wait, why aren’t you going to work?” Hyungwon asks tiredly, sinking down into the mattress. Hoseok climbs in after him and smooths Hyungwon’s hair back.

“I’m going to stay here and take care of you,” The alpha replies, reaching for his phone from where it’s docked in the charging stand on his bedside table. “Yoongi can cover my classes today, it’s Thursday.”

Hyungwon is too exhausted to argue so he closes his eyes and relaxes into the bed as Hoseok dials Namjoon’s number and talks to him over the phone, still carding his fingers through Hyungwons’ hair.

“Go back to sleep, love, okay?” Hoseok says softly once he hangs up with Namjoon. “I’ll be right here.”

The omega obeys and falls back asleep.

The next few days pass similarly. Hyungwon wakes up sick, goes back to sleep, wakes up later in the afternoon, tries to eat something, and gets sick again. Rinse and repeat. Eventually Hoseok has to go back to work. He reluctantly leaves Hyungwon at home most of the day to deal with his sickness by himself. Hyungwon will probably never admit it, but at many points throughout the day he finds himself wishing Hoseok had stayed with him. He loves feeling safe and secure in Hoseok’s muscular arms, his lips on his temple and in his hair.

On the fifth day, Hyungwon is crying on the floor of his bathroom, weirdly emotional as he fiddles with his phone, looking up why he might be suffering like this. Throughout the day he feels mostly fine. It's just in the mornings and nights and after he eats he felt ill and usually gets sick. It's irritating but the more he thinks about it, the more he's sure about what the problem is.

He swallows his tears, takes a shower, gets into his car, and drives to the nearest convenience store to pick up a pregnancy test.

His hands are shaking when he gets back home, and he goes straight to the bathroom to take the test. He isn't really sure why he was nervous. He knows Hoseok won't be angry or anything—his husband made it very clear back when they were dating that he wanted to start a family with Hyungwon. They just haven't quite gotten around to discussing the timing of having a child. They both know they want pups, it had always been just a matter of when. Hyungwon hoped to God Hoseok is ready.

After he takes the test, the little white stick lays face down on the floor of the bathroom and Hyungwon stares at it, feeling sick from nerves. Part of him knows what the test says. The other part of him hopes it says what he wants it to say. His palms are sweaty and trembling. He reachess for the test and picks it up, and shakily turns it over.

* * *

Hyungwon spends the entire car ride home from the doctor trying not to cry. After taking the pregnancy test, he'd scheduled an appointment with his doctor to confirm his pregnancy. The doctor had congratulated him, diagnosed him as ten weeks and four days pregnant, and then devised a plan for his term. The due date was December 14th. Thankfully for Hyungwon, the only medication he takes at all is his prescription for hyperthyroidism and the occasional painkiller when he pushes himself too hard in practice. He'd learned from the doctor that thyroid medicine isn't unsafe during pregnancy, so as far as medicine goes, he just needs to take fewer painkillers until the five month mark when the baby will be fully formed.

Now that Hyungwon knows he's pregnant, he's left with the task of telling Hoseok. He knows Hoseok wants a child, so Hyungwon plans to make a little gift bag with the positive pregnancy test in it to surprise him. Thinking about surprising his husband with his pregnancy brings a shy smile to Hyungwon's face.

It's nearly four-thirty when Hyungwon finally gets home—he has about forty-five minutes until Hoseok returns from the rink. Hyungwon rummages around their closets and basement until he finds a small unused gift bag and some colored parchment paper. He makes quick work of wrapping the test up in paper and preparing the gift bag. By the time Hoseok walks in the door, Hyungwon is curled on the sofa with a book in his lap, and the pregnancy test is sitting on Hoseok’s side of the bed in their bedroom.

“Hi, love,” Hoseok calls as he takes his shoes off.

“Hi, baby,” Hyungwon gingerly stands up from the sofa and goes to greet his husband. He kisses him firmly on the lips and then wraps him in a hug. “I love you."

“I love you too...?” Hoseok sounds a little worried. “Everything okay? How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” Hyungwon says vaguely.

Hyungwon wordlessly leads Hoseok to their bedroom, flicking on the light as he opens the door. As expected, Hoseok’s attention is instantly grabbed by the small gift on his side of the bed.

“ _Yeobo_ , what’s this?” He asks. Hyungwon smiles.

“You have to open it.”

Hoseok sits down on the bed and Hyungwon perches himself next to him. He watches carefully as Hoseok pulls out the paper before reaching into the bottom of the bag, where the test was wrapped in more gift paper. Hoseok gives a confused chuckle, looking at Hyungwon with a puzzled expression.

“Open it,” Hyungwon prods.

Hoseok unravels the paper until the little blue and white stick lands face up in his lap. He looks at it for a second, confused, then his face drops and his eyes widen. His mouth falls open as he lifts it up. Hyungwon feels tears pool in his eyes and he wraps Hoseok in a hug from the side.

“You... you’re...” Hoseok stammers. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yeah, baby,” Hyungwon sobs. “We’re gonna be parents.”

Hoseok’s shoulders start to shake and he turns to hold Hyungwon, hugging him tightly. Hyungwon feels something wet start to soak through his shirt on his shoulder, and grips Hoseok tighter. The two of them sit like that for a little while, crying messes tangled in each other’s arms.

“I love you,” Hoseok breathes, pulling away to pepper kisses on Hyungwon’s face. He laughs wetly.

“I love you too.”

* * *

Hoseok grips the banister of the rink wall until his knuckles turn white as he watches Hyungwon go for a quadruple flip. He lands it flawlessly, and from the other side of the rink, Jiyong claps.

“Excellent, Hyungwon-ah,” he calls. Hyungwon dips his head at the praise.

Hoseok thinks he'll lose his mind if Hyungwon continues to jump. He's pregnant, for God’s sake, he's already in his fourteenth week of pregnancy—if he hurts himself, he could hurt the baby too. In all honesty, Hoseok really hadn't thought this would be a problem—he'd thought Hyungwon wouldn’t skate at all now that he's pregnant. But no—there he is, out on the rink, doing quadruple jumps and level four flying spins.

It's only after Hyungwon takes a hard fall doing a quadruple loop that Hoseok finally steps in. He marches to the side of the rink and drags his husband off the ice, ignoring his loud protests and the confused looks he's getting from everyone else. He continues to ignore Hyungwon trying to pull himself away and drags Hyungwon into the privacy of the locker room, where he sits the taller man down on the bench and begins untying his skates.

“What—hyung, what’s the matter?” Hyungwon finally pulls out the big guns by taking Hoseok’s face in his, staring deeply into his eyes. Hoseok melts at the genuine confusion and concern in his gaze, and takes Hyungwon’s hands.

“I need you to stop jumping and spinning,” Hoseok admits. “You’re pregnant, Hyungwon. You could hurt yourself or the baby. Please, you have to stop.”

“Jiyong and the others will wonder why,” Hyungwon protests weakly. Hoseok shakes his head.

“Then we tell them you’re pregnant. It doesn’t matter. You can’t keep jumping, not anymore. Not until you’ve given birth. Please, Wonnie,” Hoseok kisses the palm of Hyungwon’s hand.

“Okay,” Hyungwon agrees, his voice barely a whisper. “Okay, I won’t. But you have to help me figure out a way to tell everyone. And my parents. And your parents.”

Hoseok feels his face relax into an easy smile. “I can do that.”

The two of them end up video calling both sets of their parents. Hoseok’s mother and Hyungwon’s mother are actually very close, having helped plan most of their wedding three years prior. They take the news of Hyungwon’s pregnancy very well and before either man can protest, both women book plane tickets to Seoul to come see them, bringing along Hyungwon’s brother and Hoseok’s father and brother. Hoseok is excited their families were coming. Hyungwon's mother has been badgering Hyungwon about a baby for a couple of months now. He knows their respective families are excited about their pregnancy.

That leaves their other family. Their friends, their brothers, the people they'd trained and grown up with since they were teenagers. It's their opinions and feelings that matter most to Hyungwon and Hoseok. They want to do this in a way that will make their pregnancy not only special to them, but special to their brothers too. Hiding Hyungwon's pregnancy from Hyunwoo, Kihyun, Minhyuk, Jooheon, and Changkyun isn't something they'll be able to do for much longer—their friends know them well, and they'll surely pick up on something sooner or later. They need to figure it out quickly.

“I think we should tell Kihyun personally,” Hyungwon says thoughtfully one morning over breakfast. He's fifteen weeks into his pregnancy now, barely into the second trimester, and his bump is beginning to show. The easiest way for him to hide it is by wearing a big sweatshirt, which is what he does fairly often now.

“Tell me why,” Hoseok says. Hyungwon shrugs.

“I just think he should know first,” He says. “I want him to be the baby’s godfather.” He looks up at Hoseok carefully. “Unless you have someone else in mind?”

Hoseok smiles easily at Hyungwon. “I think Kihyun is a perfect fit for our baby’s godfather.”

Hyungwon grins, pressing a kiss to Hoseok's lips.

* * *

As fate would have it, Kihyun finds out about Hyungwon’s pregnancy first anyway. He and Hyungwon are relaxing together at Hyungwon’s house while their gym-rat husbands work out together when Hyungwon’s morning sickness makes a sudden and violent reappearance. Kihyun and Hyungwon’s relaxing morning together is spent mostly in the bathroom, Hyungwon huddled over the toilet with Kihyun flitting about nervously.

“I thought you said you were over your stomach bug,” he talks quickly, a sure sign of his nervousness. “Why are you still sick?”

Hyungwon debates telling him now or later. He’d planned to tell Kihyun at some point that day anyway. He'd just wanted it to be more of a surprise than this—him, draped over the toilet while Khyun panicked around him. He shakes his head.

“I’m not sick,” Hyungwon mumbles, and Kihyun reaches around him to flush the toilet. The older man helps Hyungwon to his feet and gives him an incredulous look.

“Not sick? You’ve just got done throwing up and you can barely stand. Don’t tell me you’re not ill,” Kihyun scoffs, then reaches up to hold his hand against Hyungwon’s forehead. His pinched expression turns puzzled. “You don’t feel warm, though? That’s weird.”

“Kihyun-hyung.” Hyungwon takes Kihyun’s hand away from his forehead. “I’m not sick.”

“Then what’s going on, Hyungwon?” Kihyun sounds a little desperate. “You’re scaring me. Why won’t you tell me what’s happening?”

Hyungwon wordlessly lifts his shirt. Kihyun’s brows furrow in confusion.

“I don’t—” Kihyun cuts himself off with a gasp as Hyungwon turns to the side, showing off his tiny, but still visible baby bump. The older man stares, open mouthed, at Hyungwon, his eyes flicking from Hyungwon’s face to his stomach. Hyungwon feels a grin creep onto his face.

“I’m fifteen weeks and two days along,” He says, a hint of pride coloring his tone. Kihyun’s open mouth melts into a disbelieving smile, and he stands on his tiptoes to wrap Hyungwon in a hug.

“Congratulations, Hyungwon-ah,” he says, and Hyungwon nuzzles into the man who had been a brother figure to him ever since he left home to train with Jiyong.

Hyungwon will never admit it, but Kihyun’s opinion and thoughts matter a lot to Hyungwon. Kihyun has been a familial figure to Hyungwon for years now. He’s been a mom to everyone at the rink. Hyungwon really does love Kihyun.

“Does Hoseok know?” Kihyun asks as he pours Hyungwon a cup of tea. Hyungwon nods, graciously accepting the warm mug.

“Oh, yes,” Hyungwon hums. “He was so happy.”

Kihyun grins, pleased. “That’s great, Wonnie. I’m so happy for you guys. How did you tell him?”

Hyungwon explains the story to Kihyun, finding himself a little teary as he relays what happened. Kihyun’s smile only gets wider as he listen to Hyungwon tell the tale, massaging Hyungwon’s arm and hand in an act of comfort.

“Have you decided how you’re going to tell everyone else? You’ll find out the baby’s gender next week, right?” Kihyun asks, perching himself on Hyungwon’s countertop. Hyungown nods.

“We wanted to do a gender reveal. Which means we need to tell everyone soon. This is how we’re going to do it...”

* * *

“Hey, everyone,” Hoseok calls over the mass of skaters. “Let’s take a group picture.”

“Why?” Yoongi groans. Hoseok smirks.

“Hyungwon wants a picture of all of us at the rink, and since this is the first time in literal months we’re all here on the same day, there’s no better time to do it than now.” He grins.

“It won’t take long,” Kihyun agrees. “Just a couple of pictures.”

After about five minutes of shuffling everyone around, finally everyone is ready, standing in two lines in front of the ice. Jiyong, Namjoon, Seokjin, Hyunwoo, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Minhyuk stand in the back, while J-hope, Jimin, Yoongi, Changkyun, Jooheon, and Kihyun stand in the front. Hoseok had been told that Kihyun knows what's going on, so Kihyun stands next to Hyungwon, prepared to jump in the way if Minhyuk does something crazy in reaction to the news.

“Wait, aren’t you gonna be in the picture?” Minhyuk calls to Hoseok, who is backing away with his phone to find a good angle to take the picture.

“I don’t want him in it,” Hyungwon jokes, causing a ripple of laughter among the skaters. Hoseok smirks, finally finding a good angle and holding his phone up.

“Okay, ready?” He asks. “Three, two, one...”

He took a couple of pictures, and everyone began to relax and drift apart.

“Wait, wait, let me take a couple more,” He protests, and despite groans from Jiyong and Yoongi, the group reforms itself to its previous position. Hoseok switchs his camera from photo mode to video mode and starts to record.

“Okay, are you ready?” he asks.

“Yes,” Minhyuk said impatiently, grinning.

“Yeah? Okay, three… two… one… Hyungwon is pregnant!”

The reaction is instantaneous. Gasps and yells of shock burst from the group. Everyone turns to face Hyungwon in shock.

"Really??" Changkyun yelps, hands flying to his mouth.

“Shut up, no you’re not!” Minhyuk yells, breaking formation to face Hyungwon, who is already laughing.

“Yeah, I am,” Hyungwon laughed. Minhyuk screams and pounces on the younger skater as the group breaks into applause and cheers.

“Congratulations!”

“Yay!”

“Congrats, guys!”

"When are you due?" Jiyong asks as he claps Hyungwon on the back, a proud, easy smile gracing his features. Hyungwon smiles back at his coach as best he can with Minhyuk still clinging to him like a koala.

"December 14th," Hyungwon informs him, and Jiyong nods, smiling wider and ruffling Hyungwon's hair fondly.

“Do you know the gender yet?” Jungkook asks curiously as Minhyuk finally lets go of Hyungwon so Changkyun and Jooheon can hug him. Hyunwoo wraps Hoseok in a bear hug as he approaches the group.

“No, we will in a week.” Hyungwon says, then smiles again. “That being said, we wanted to do a gender reveal. We—”

“Oh my god, can I plan it?” Minhyuk gasps, throwing himself at Hoseok. “Please? Please, please, please?”

Hoseok laughes. “We were just about to ask you to,” he confesses.

Minhyuk just about implodes.

Hoseok catches the whole spectacle on camera, and watches the video every day.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I uploaded this chapter earlier but everything got messed up so here it is again)

“I’m going to retire.”

Hoseok’s announcement catches everyone off guard. Hyungwon whirls around, eyes wide.

“Babe, what? No you aren’t,” he admonishes. Hoseok looks at him with soft eyes.

“I am, baby,” Hoseok says, taking Hyungwon’s hand. “I’ve done my time. I’ve won the Olympics, achieved a Super Slam, and now you’re pregnant... there’s no better time. I’m ready to retire from competitive skating.”

“Hoseok, as much as I understand where you’re coming from, have you thought this through enough?” Hyunwoo says slowly. Kihyun nods his agreement. Both of them fix apprehensive gazes on the muscular skater.

“Yes, I have,” Hoseok nods firmly. “I’m sure about this. I want to teach the next generation of skaters. I want to be a parent. I’m ready for this.”

Changkyun, Minhyuk, and Jooheon all turn to Jiyong, who is watching Hoseok carefully. Behind him, Seokjin and Yoongi are also listening to the conversation silently.

“Hyungnim, change his mind,” Jooheon pleads, grabbing Jiyong’s arm. Jiyong glances at him, eyes gentle. He takes a deep breath before answering.

“If Hoseok-ah feels he’s ready to retire, then I think he should,” Jiyong says quietly, then turns to look back at Hoseok. “You’ll always have a place and a name among competitive skating, Hoseok-ah. And you’ll always have a place here. I’m proud of you, kid.”

Jiyong gives Hoseok a rare hug. When he pulls away, Hoseok can;t help but think that the man looks older than he actually is. They smile softly at each other.

The trip home is rather tense. Hyungwon doesn't say a word, staring thoughtfully into nothing. Hoseok doesn't try to make him talk. He knows better than that. It's not until they're both snuggled up on the sofa in the living room that Hyungwon finally speaks to Hoseok. His voice is soft and timid. A little sad.

“I wish you’d talked to me about it first,” Hyungwon confesses, curling into Hoseok's side.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to try to change my mind,” Hoseok replies, holding his husband close. “I’ve thought a lot about it since you told me you’re pregnant. I know that you want to keep skating. And I think now is the perfect time for me to announce my retirement, especially since Worlds just finished.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to retire because I’m pregnant,” Hyungwon whispers. Hoseok kisses his hair. "I don't want to stop skating. Once I give birth I want to compete again."

"Then you should," Hoseok smooths Hyungwon's hair back. "I'll support you no matter what decision you make. I just think I'm done. I'm ready to be done."

Hyungwon’s gold medals from the two previous World Championships are hanging in the office, along with all the other medals the skating couple had accumulated over the years. The more Hoseok looks at the wall drenched in gold, silver, and bronze, the more he knows he's ready to be done. He’s won the Olympics. He’s been to more Grand Prix Series and World Championships than he has fingers. He's one of three skaters in the whole world to have achieved a Super Slam. He's ready to retire and start a new chapter in his life. The chapter of parenthood.

He tells Hyungwon as such, and Hyungwon is crying when Hoseok finishes voicing his thoughts to him. Hoseok gently wipes his tears away, aware that this reaction is probably enhanced by the hormones that are washing through his system, but he wants to comfort his husband nonetheless.

“Are you sure?” Hyungwon asks, voice high and teary. Hoseok kisses each of his fingers.

“Absolutely.”

* * *

Hyungwon bounces a little on the balls of his heels as he surveys the state of the park in their neightborhood on the morning of July 18th, the day of their gender reveal party-slash-baby shower. Minhyuk, Jooheon, and Changkyun had insisted on fully funding the baby shower and gender reveal party, and Hoseok and Hyungwon had let them, knowing that this baby is probably just as much theirs as it is Hyungwon and Hoseok’s.

The park is decked out in blue and pink streamers, balloons, and confetti. Minhyuk has really gone all out with the decorating, putting up different colored question marks and other fun little decals, all blue or pink colored. The gender will be revealed by the color of the confetti in a big black balloon Minhyuk has tied to a tree. A big cake that is actually about two dozen cupcakes all frosted over is a beautiful mix of baby blue and pale pink frosting, lighter colors so it wouldn’t stain anyone’s lips an electric blue or vibrant pink. Minhyuk had even gone around throwing pink and blue dyed rose petals like a flower girl, and made a flower crown out of roses to perch in Hyungwon's hair. He reached up and touched the ring of flowers on his head gingerly, smiling to himself.

“What do you think?” Jooheon asks excitedly, approaching Hyungwon with big eyes. Hyungwon grins at the younger man.

“I think it’s perfect,” He says warmly, and he means it. “Thank you, Jooheon-ah. And Changkyun and Minhyuk-hyung.”

“Hey! I want Wonnie hugs too!” Minhyuk bounds over to Hyungwon like a dog seeing its owner for the first time in years. He nearly tackles the pregnant male to the ground, but Changkyun comes from behind to steady them both before they fell over, then encases Hyungwon in a hug from behind. Hyungwon, surrounded on all sides by three human sized puppies, catches Hoseok’s eye from across the grass and gives him a helpless look. Hoseok, a few yards away speaking to his parents, bursts into loud laughter as he registers Hyungwon trapped within the grip of three excited uncles.

Minhyuk has also enacted a dress code for the guests: those who think the baby is a girl wore pink and the guests who predict a boy wear blue. Hyungwon’s mother and brother and Hoseok’s father are wearing pink while Hoseok’s father and brother both have blue t-shirts on. Kihyun and Hyungwon himself are in pink, while Hoseok, Changkyun, Jooheon, and Hyunwoo wear various shades of blue. Taehyung, Seokjin, Yoongi, and Jimin are team girl and Namjoon, J-hope, and Jungkook are team boy. Jiyong tricks everyone by showing up in a purple shirt, claiming he’d “beat the system” so he'll be right either way. Minhyuk had pouted upon seeing Jiyong’s vibrant purple t-shirt, condemning their coach for “cheating.” Jiyong had just laughed. Seeing everyone so happy, in such a wide variety of shades of pink and blue, brought a cheerful grin to Hyungwon’s face.

The only person at the party who knows the baby's gender is Minhyuk, who is wearing white so he won't spoil the baby’s gender. He is currently engaged in an animated one-sided conversation with Hyungwon’s little baby bump. He’d nearly revealed the gender of the baby three times already and Jooheon threatened to hit him if he did it again. Hyungwon is anxious to know the baby’s gender and the fact that Minhyuk has almost spoiled it three times only made things more nerve-wracking.

“Are we ready to do the gender reveal?” Changkyun finally manages to pull Minhyuk away from Hyungwon’s stomach. “We can’t eat treats or anything or open gifts until they pop the balloon. Is everyone here?”

“I think so,” Jooheon scans the area, counting heads as he goes along. Then he clapped his hands. “Okay, everyone’s here! Let’s get started!”

Hyungwon and Hoseok are moved to the center of the park by the big cherry blossom tree, where Minhyuk brings out the giant black balloon. He sets it on the ground, anchors it with a brick, steadies the balloon against the breeze, and then holds a long metal skewer out to Hyungwon.

“Here, Wonnie! Are you ready?” He asks cheerfully. Hyungwon grins as he took the skewer. Minhyuk backs away, pulling out his phone as he joins everyone else in a giant clump about three feet away. Most of them also have their phones out to record.

Hoseok takes Hyungwon’s hand so both of them have a grip on the skewer.

“Three!” Minhyuk yells.

Hyungwon kisses Hoseok’s temple, gets a loving grin in return.

“Two!”

Hoseok’s grip tightens slightly over Hyungwon’s hand.

“One!”

**Pop!**

Shiny, hot pink confetti explodes all over the grass.

Cheers and yells and clapping erupt from the crowd of their friends and family. Hyungwon launches himself into Hoseok’s arms, nearly toppling the older man over.

“A girl!”

“It’s a girl!”

“I knew it! I knew it!” Kyungwon, Hyungwon’s brother, is screaming and hugging his mother, who is equally as excited. “I called it! I so called it!”

Hyungwon is a mess of tears and laughter as he buries himself in Hoseok’s arms. Hoseok is also crying, gripping his younger husband tightly.

“We’re having a baby girl,” Hoseok whispers into Hyungwon’s ear, barely able to be heard over the cheers and yells from the mass of guests.

“Yeah,” Hyungwon sobs. “Yeah, we are.”

The baby shower goes well, too. After a brief clean-up session everyone participates in, the party moves to Hyungwon and Hoseok's townhome to resume the baby shower. They return to the home to find that, at some point, Minhyuk had already been there and decorated the entire living room in similar decorations.

The couple receive several articles of baby clothing from Kihyun and Hyunwoo as well as their family members. Hyungwon’s mother and brother put together a collection of baby onesies, all the different colors of the rainbow. Hoseok's brother gifted a baby monitor set and Hoseok’s parents prepared a basket of necessary baby items, like a diaper bag, bottles, nappies, towels, and blankets. The rest of their rinkmates and Jiyong gifted the couple different baby toys, everything from rattles to pacifiers, to stuffed bears and a stupidly adorable stuffed moose from Taehyung who he claimed is cleverly named Mr. Moose. Hyungwon keeps the stuffed moose close to his baby bump the entire rest of the baby shower.

“Wait, we have one more gift!” Changkyun stands up suddenly and disappears outside to where his car is parked in the driveway. He returns a few minutes later, holding a big box wrapped in cute pink and purple wrapping paper.

“We don’t need anything else,” Hyungwon breathes in exasperation. He grins despite the stress evident on his face. “Yah, Kyun-ah, what the heck is this? It’s huge!”

Changkyun grins cheekily, placing the box on Hyungwon’s lap. “This is from Jooheon-hyung, Minhyuk-hyung and me. Open it!”

Hyungwon glances at Hoseok, who is perched on the arm of the chair Hyungwon is sitting in. Hoseok shrugs, and the two begin to unwrap the box.

Hyungwon bursts into tears as soon as it's open. He'd recognized the size and shape of the box, and had a sneaking suspicion as to what was inside. His suspicion is proven right as he opens it and he sobs into his hands, leaving his poor husband to hold up what's inside: a beautiful pair of tiny, glowing white ice skates, complete with lavender laces and tiny green and purple blade covers. Hoseok bites his lip to keep from crying as he looks at the gift in wonder.

“Guys…” His voice cracks and he swallows, blinking feverishly. “You really didn’t have to...”

“We wanted to,” Minhyuk says earnestly. “We love you guys and we love your baby girl. We want you to know we’ll be here every step of the way.”

“She’s gonna be amazing,” Changkyun smiles a smile bigger than Hoseok can remember seeing. “Just like her parents.”

Hoseok really breaks down after that.

* * *

Later, when the party is over, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyunwoo, Changkyun, and Jooheon had stayed after to hang out a little longer with Hoseok and Hyungwon and help clean up. While Minhyuk, Changkyun and Jooheon mess around with the decorations in the living room, having been ordered by Kihyun to go “clean up their mess,” Hyunwoo and Kihyun pull the couple into their kitchen. Hyunwoo is holding a tiny box with a little bow perched on top. He holds it out to Hyungwon expectantly.

“Please, not another gift,” Hyungwon pleads, holding his hands up. “We’ve already gotten so much from you. Your support and love is really all we needed in the first place.”

“We want to give this to you,” Hyunwoo says simply, taking Hyungwon’s hand and pressing the box into it. “Open it.”

Hyungwon sighs but obeys. Hoseok stands next to him as he pulls the paper off the small box and takes off the lid, revealing a rose-gold necklace with a little jellyfish charm hooked on the chain. It's beautiful, and it glimmers spectacularly when it catches the kitchen lights, sending rose-gold light flying up the wall and onto the ceiling. Hyungwon’s lips part in awe.

“That belonged to my mother before she passed away,” Hyunwoo says softly.

Hyungwon and Hoseok's heads snap up in unison, and both of them stare at Hyunwoo in varying degrees of absolute horror. Hyungwon thrusts the box back towards Hyunwoo.

“Hyung, we can’t take this,” Hyungwon says, looking very stressed. “You should keep it—”

Hyunwoo smiles warmly, placing his hand over Hyungwon's and gently pushes the box back towards him. Hyungwon watches with an open mouth and furrowed brows, distraught over the gift Hyunwoo is trying to give them.

“Hyung, we really can’t accept this,” Hoseok tries to reason, equally as distressed as Hyungwon at the idea of being given something so important. “This doesn’t belong to us, it’s yours—”

“I want you to have it,” Hyunwoo replies patiently, looking Hoseok deeply in the eyes. “Kihyun and I have decided we’re probably not going to have kids. And if we do, Kihyun’s mother gifted us a beautiful bracelet we’ll give to our child instead. I want you to have it and give it to your daughter to show her you love her, and that we love her, and that she’ll always have us. It’s our gift from us to you to her. Please accept it.”

Kihyun is watching with a calm expression on his face, nodding at what Hyunwoo is saying as he takes Hyungwon’s free hand. Sensing they really had no choice, Hoseok and Hyungwon eventually give up and accept the necklace. Hyungwon clings to Hyunwoo for a while afterwards, only letting go when it gets late and their friends are done cleaning the house and getting ready to leave. After many "I love you"s are shared from each side, Hoseok and Hyungwon are finally alone.

The little home feels big now that it's just the two of them, but Hyungwon figures they have their baby girl on the way to fix that. He sits silently on the loveseat, legs tucked underneath him, cradling the jellyfish necklace in his hands while Hoseok fixes two cups of tea for the both of them. When Hoseok joins his husband on the sofa Hyungwon instantly curls up to the muscular man, leaning on his chest. They sit in silence for a little bit, both of them staring deeply at the jellyfish necklace threaded between Hyungwon’s fingers, before Hyungwon breaks the silence.

“We have good friends,” He mumbles.

“That we do,” Hoseok agrees.

Another beat of silence passes.

“I want to paint a jellyfish on the wall in her room,” Hyungwon says thoughtfully. “A purple jellyfish.”

Hoseok smiles and kisses his temple. “Absolutely perfect.”

* * *

The baby’s room looks wonderful. The walls are painted the perfect shade of cream—with a bright lavender jellyfish on the wall above the bassinet—and cute white curtains decorated with little blue bubbles flank the window. The bassinet and baby mobile are pushed against the left wall and in the left corner of the room is a big rocking chair. Under the window sits the dresser and changing station, and a small chest of toys is placed next to it. A little play area is situated next to the closet and a round blue and lavender carpet covers most of the hardwood.

Hyungwon stands in the doorway to the nursery with his hands on his hips, deeply satisfied with it. It's perfect.

He feels Hoseok’s hands snake around his waist and rest gently on the bump that's growing bigger and bigger with every day that passes. Hoseok kisses the back of his neck and trailes soft smooches up to his hair before nibbling gently on his ear. Hyungwon laughs and playfully pushes at his chest.

“We should put Mr. Moose in the crib,” Hoseok grins as he passes Hyungwon and enters the room, picking up the stuffed moose from off the rocking chair and perching it on the pillow in the crib. Hyungwon smiles.

“Perfect,” He worms his way into Hoseok’s arms and kisses him on the lips.

The rest of Hyungwon’s pregnancy flies by. Hormones and cravings aren't fun to deal with, especially since Hoseok makes constant runs to the store in the middle of the night and he's a little embarrassed at the number of times he’s slept on the couch, but they both keep reminding themselves it'll all be worth it when their little girl finally arrives.

The first time the baby kicks, it's during dinner at a restaurant with the rest of their friends and Minhyuk nearly starts screaming. Hoseok always looks back on that memory with a chuckle. It's moments like that that makes Hoseok think Minhyuk is more excited about this pregnancy than anyone else, save for Hoseok and Hyungwon.

Hyungwon struggles with the way his body looks a few months into the pregnancy. His feet swell slightly and the weight he gains as a result of carrying the baby frustrates him to no end. Hyperthyroidism aside, his weight fluctuates quite a lot in the later months of his pregnancy. Hoseok understands his frustration—he's a figure skater. He's been trained to always have his body in tip top shape. To suddenly be carrying around a lot of weight is not something he wanted to have to deal with, and he tells Hoseok multiple times that he hates the way it makes him feel. It causes many a night curled up in their bed, Hoseok kissing Hyungwon’s tears away as he reassures him he's just as beautiful pregnant as he is when he isn't. Hyungwon will always be beautiful to Hoseok, no matter what. He makes sure Hyungwon knows that.

"What if she doesn't want to skate?" Hyungwon asks one night.

They're curled up in bed together, under the blankets to protect from the chill of late October. Hoseok's laptop has a website open on the screen, a PDF on how to emotionally and nutritionally support a young figure skater. Hyungwon had found it while skimming articles earlier, and they read each word very carefully.

Hoseok pauses. It's a question he's considered before, though probably not as seriously as he should have. It's a legitimate question, leading to legitimate scenario that could very well end up being reality. What if she doesn't want to compete? What if, within the first five minutes on the ice, she slips and falls and decides she never wants to do it again? What if she doesn't want to try at all?

"Well," Hoseok says carefully, "if she doesn't want to, we shouldn't force her. We want her happiness before everything else, right?"

"What if she feels like she has to live up to our legacies?" Hyungwon asks, staring at the ceiling. "I don't want her to deal with that kind of pressure."

"We'll have to make sure she knows she doesn't have anything to live up to," Hoseok says, setting his laptop aside and snuggling next to Hyungwon.

"Girls' skating is much more intense than boys' skating," Hyungwon comments. Hoseok glances at him. He's still staring at the ceiling, but his eyes are hazy. His mind is somewhere else. "Certain things are more important to girls than they are to boys."

Hoseok nods. That much is true. If their little girl wants to skate, and wants to do it competitively, it will drastically change the course of her life. No matter what age she'll be when she finally makes the change from the junior to senior level, those experiences she faces will cause her to grow up, and she will grow up really quickly. Hoseok knows that, because he'd experienced it himself. So did Hyungwon, Minhyuk, Kihyun, and all the others. Hoseok doesn't know if that's something that they want for her.

"If there ever comes a point where she says she doesn't want to skate anymore, if we ever get to that point, we need to listen. We can't expect her to want to do what we did. That's not fair to her." Hyungwon says.

Hoseok knows Hyungwon is right. If she ever decides she didn't want to skate, they'll have to push aside their own disappointment and let her do as she wants, because it's her happiness they're risking. 

"We won't be her coaches, either," Hoseok says. "If she decides she wants to skate it'll have to be someone else."

Hyungwon nods in agreement. It's only now hitting Hoseok how complicated his life had been while he was skating as a young kid and teenager. He'd never really stopped to consider how his career choice, and the decisions he'd made to compete at an international level, had affected his own parents. He wonders why and how they decided to let him go through with it.

He decides to call them the next day. His mother picks up on the second ring.

_"Hello? Hoseok-ah?"_

"Hi, mom," Hoseok says. "Do you have a minute?"

_"Of course. What's going on? Is everything all right?"_

"Yeah, of course, I just wanted to talk to you," Hoseok says, sitting down on the sofa. "When I was younger, why did you decide to let me go through with competing?"

_"What do you mean?"_

"Like, as I was growing up and getting more serious about skating, why didn't you stop me?" Hoseok explains, biting his thumb nail.

_"Why would I have stopped you? I could see how much it meant to you every time you stepped on the ice."_

"But," Hoseok says, then paused, not having expected that. "As it got to a point that was like, 'oh God, he could really go to the Olympics' or something like that, why did you decide that you would support me?"

 _"It wasn't a matter of whether or not we would support you, dear. It was a matter of_ how _we would do that. We would always support you. Like I said before, it was so obvious how much you loved it, I would feel like the worst mother in the world if I tried to stop you. And I did think about it, from time to time. After Worlds in 2013, after the Russian man dislocated your shoulder, I thought about calling you to tell you I wanted you to stop. But you skated even after having your shoulder popped back in, and I knew that it would be selfish of me to ask you to stop. It would be selfish of me to ask you to stop doing what you loved because it worried me."_

"Did you worry about me often?" Hoseok asks, though he's not sure if he wants to know the answer.

 _"All the time,"_ his mother says honestly. _"All the time. Every blister, every bruise, every tear shed because you were frustrated or tired or hurt—I always worried. I would have been a bad mother if I didn't worry. But keeping you from doing what you loved just because I worried wouldn't be fair. Why are you calling me about this? Is something wrong?"_

"No," Hoseok says, only half lying. "I just... Hyungwon and I were talking the other night about what we'll do if the baby decides she doesn't want to skate. Or does want to skate, and be serious about it. It made me realize I never considered what my childhood and adolescence would have been like for you. I was so wrapped up in it, I never stopped to think about how it affected you, as my parents."

 _"Your father and I did have many conversations about it, as you got more serious,"_ his mother admits. _"In your mid-teen years, preparing to go from junior to senior, we talked a lot about whether or not we wanted you to keep going. If we were prepared to support you as your career took off. And we decided that however you needed our support, we'd do it. It was scary, believe me. It was terrifying, sometimes. But, as a parent, you'll learn that being afraid for your child is okay. As long as you know when to be rational, when to get involved and when to support them, it's okay to worry. It means you care. But that will come with time, and you won't always get it right on the first try."_

"Are Hyungwon and I doing the wrong thing by making her skate?"

_"Are you making her?"_

"I don't know. We just want her to try it."

_"I always wanted you to try taekwondo, but you hated it. You can make her try it, but whether or not she likes it is beyond your control."_

Hoseok nods.

 _"Trying to make your child do something they don't want to is a guaranteed method to make them hate the thing and you,"_ his mother said wisely. _"You can have her try it, and if she doesn't like it, she'll find something else to do. If she does like it, you have to let her decide what she wants. She might not want to compete. And that's okay, too. Whatever she decides, it's your job as her parent to support her. Unless it's something illegal or directly harming her."_

"Someone could argue that Olympic figure skating is harming the athlete," Hoseok points out.

_"Fair enough, but what Olympic sport doesn't harm the athlete?"_

Hoseok pauses. It's a good point.

_"Just let her find her own path, Hoseok. Parenting is hard, but I know you can do it. The best gift you can give your child is accepting them for who and what they are."_

"I know, mom," Hoseok says, smiling. "Thanks. I appreciate the advice."

* * *

Following that phone call, Hoseok and Hyungwon feel more at ease about their daughter's future. They'll let her figure it out for herself, and help her along the way. Hoseok is at peace with that knowledge.

One thing they spend a hell of a lot of time doing is coming up with a name for the baby. Hyungwon is very indecisive about a name. He'll write down one only to cross it out the next day, then write it again and then cross it out again. It's stressing him out, Hoseok can tell, but all of his name ideas are shot down, so all he really can do is grin and bear it until Hyungwon decides on a name.

“Okay,” Hyungwon plops down onto the sofa next to where Hoseok is watching a competition rerun on the television. “I have two names here. My two final choices. I want your opinion. She’s your baby too.”

Hoseok swallows a sharp response—he knew better than that by now—and nods instead as he pauses the television, genuinely curious to see what Hyungwon has decided on. Hyungwon drops a slip of paper onto his lap. Two names are written on the sheet.

_Chaeyeon — 채연 — beautiful colors_

_Yerin — 예린— treasure_

Hoseok ponders for a moment. They're both exquisite names with wonderful meanings. He glances at Hyungwon, who is watching him expectantly.

“Which one do you like the best?” Hoseok asks Hyungwon slowly.

“My brother suggested Yerin,” Hyungwon says, snuggling into Hoseok’s side. “And your mom suggested Chaeyeon. I like them both. I can’t decide.”

Hoseok understands where he's coming from. The names are both wonderful—better than anything they’ve come up with before.

“I think I like Yerin a little more,” Hyungwon murmurs. It takes Hoseok a moment to register that he's falling asleep. “‘S a pretty name…”

Hoseok kisses his sleeping husband on the forehead before carrying him to bed. They still have three weeks until the due date. They have a bit more time to decide.

* * *

“H-Hoseok? Hyung..”

Hoseok jerks out of slumber when he hears Hyungwon’s omega whining loudly. He bolts upright in bed, awake almost immediately as his body reacts naturally his mate’s distress, and lunges to turn the bedside light on.

“Baby time?” Hoseok slurs as light flooded the room and he's able to get a good look at Hyungwon, who is leaning on the doorway to the bathroom with both hands on his bulging abdomen. His pants and the floor beneath his feet are soaked in a clear liquid, and Hoseok’s heartbeat speeds up.

“Baby time,” Hyungwon nods weakly. Hoseok leaps to his feet.

“Do you need help with your shoes?” He asks, yanking open the closet door and snatching up the bag they’d prepared weeks ago for this exact reason. Hyungwon nods again and Hoseok helps him into a pair of random shoes on the floor of their closet before slipping into his own. He grabs his phone from where it's charging on his bedside table and shoves it into his sweatshirt pocket, then makes his way over to where his husband is still slumped against the bathroom doorway.

Getting down the stairs takes forever. Hyungwon is clearly in a serious amount of pain and uncomfortable from the amniotic fluid that cause his pants cling to him. They make it to the front door before Hyungwon groans and staggers, leaning heavily onto Hoseok.

“Breathe, baby,” Hoseok sooths as Hyungwon moans, clenching the fabric of Hoseok’s shirt in his fists. He takes a deep, measured breath for Hyungwon to model, helping however he can to encourage Hyungwon to breathe through the contraction. Eventually Hyungwon starts to mimic his breathing. They stand like that for what feelslike hours before Hyungwon rights himself, already glittering with a light sheen of sweat.

“Let’s go,” he pants. “Please— _aah, hah_ —let’s just go—”

Together they stumble down the steps to their townhouse and Hoseok unlocks the car so he can help Hyungwon get inside. Hyungwon tightly grips his shirt as Hoseok buckles him in, careful of the baby bump, but won't let go as Hoseok pulls away.

“Honey, you have to let me drive,” Hoseok gently takes Hyungwon’s hands and unclenches his fists, then closes Hyungwon’s door and sprints around to the other side of the car. He isn't even buckled in properly when he starts to drive.

“D-Don’t—break any... don’t break any laws,” Hyungwon grits out. Hoseok grins a little despite the situation.

“I won’t,” he promises. His free hand finds one of Hyungwon’s and squeezes it tightly.

The drive to the hospital doesn't take nearly as long as Hoseok feared it might. A glance at the clock tells him why—it's nearing three in the morning, so the roads are empty and the lights stay green. Honestly, he's still reeling in shock at how little time has passed from when he was jarred into wakefulness until this moment, driving as safely as he can with his very pregnant husband in the passenger seat next to him.

Hoseok almost yelps when Hyungwon’s grip gets impossibly tighter. Hyungwon tenses and let out a whine, sucking in tiny breaths as he suffers through another contraction.

“Just hang in there, hon, we’re nearly there,” Hoseok comforts, and within three minutes they pull up to the hospital.

He parks in the first available spot and jumps out of the car, hurrying to sling the designated baby bag over his shoulder and help Hyungwon out. Together they stagger into the hospital waiting room, where they're immediately greeted with a handful of nurses who spring into action when they register what's happening.

“Patient name and subgender?” One of them asks as two or three others took Hyungwon and begin to maneuver him towards a gurney that's being pushed into the waiting room by a set of other nurses.

“Chae Hyungwon, omega,” Hoseok replies, slightly out of breath. “He’s in labor.”

The nurse nods and helps the other midwives place Hyungwon on the gurney. Hyungwon had yet to let go of Hoseok’s hand, so when the nurses began dragging him towards a long corridor in the birth center, he tagged along, slightly jogging to keep up. Hyungwon begins to talk nervously, probably trying to cope with pain and nerves, so Hoseok just listens to him talk aimlessly as the group shuffles down the hallway. They approach a room towards the end of the hallway where a hospital worker is slipping Hyungwon’s patient records into a little folder suspended on the wall outside the room.

“Tell Kihyun to bring that pink blanket I like with the polka dots,” Hyungwon says through gritted teeth as the midwives push his gurney into the room. “Tell him don’t bother showing up without it!”

“Okay, baby, I will. I love you,” Hoseok calls back, and then Hyungwon lets go of his hand and the door closes behind the midwives and Hyungwon is gone.

“Please just wait here sir,” the last nurse smiles kindly at him. “I assume you want to be there for the birth of the baby?”

“Yes, please,” Hoseok says. The nurse’s smile widened and she nodded, then gestured to a cushioned chair right outside the hospital room.

“We’ll come get you soon.” She says.

Hoseok thanks her and collapses into the chair as she follows the other midwives into the room Hyungwon disappeared into. He pulls his phone out to check the time. 2:41 in the morning. Hoseok smirks and shook his head, rubbing his eyes. Of course his daughter would choose this moment to come into the world. He contemplates not texting the group chat, considering the time _—_ but then he remembers how Minhyuk had forced him to promise to text them all when Hyungwon went into labor.

“Promise me you’ll let us know!” Minhyuk had begged. “I don’t care what time of day—it can be two in the morning for all I care—just text us when it happens!”

“Okay, okay, I will,” Hoseok had laughed as he relented.

Well, he’d get what he wanted.

_Rinkmates  
Thursday, December 3, 2:42 AM_

**_Wonhoe:_ ** _Initiate operation pup_

He can't even be angry when he realizes what Minhyuk had changed his username to, nor does he care enough to change it back. He shakes his head, slumps back into his chair and stares at the ceiling, zoning out and counting down the seconds until the nurse comes to get him. Now that he’s been given a small window of time to relax, he realizes how fast his heart thuds in his chest, how he can hear the blood pulsing in his ears, how his arms and legs are tingling and shaky from the adrenaline. He taes a few breaths to steady his breathing, feeling himself calming down as he registers that Hyungwon is okay, he is safe, he is in good hands. Hoseok lets an elated grin split his lips and he laughs to himself.

Hyungwon is having a baby. _His_ baby. He's gonna be a dad.

“Hyungwon, you miracle,” he breaths, rubbing his face with his hand. “You’re my miracle.”

He flinches when his phone pings.

_Rinkmates  
Thursday, December 3, 2:44 AM_

**_Minhyukie:_ ** _Wtf are you talking about hyung it is literally two in the morning_

 **_Wonhoe:_ ** _Minhyuk focus. Initiate operation pup. Initiate operation Actual Proof I Had Sex With Chae Hyungwon. Please meet us at Asan Medical Center ASAP_

He sends a selfie of himself in the chair outside the hospital room for good measure. The baby is nearly two weeks early—he doesn't know if his friends will believe him.

 **_Kyunah:_ ** _Shit, for real?_

 **_Onehunnit:_ ** _Wait what? She’s early??_

 **_Minhyukie:_ ** _OH GOD YES FINALYL_

 **_Appa Bear:_ ** _We’re on our way, give us like fifteen minutes_

 **_Wonhoe:_ ** _Wonnie said to tell Kihyun to bring the 'pink blanket he likes with the polka dots' and don’t bother showing up without it_

 **_Onehunnit:_ ** _I can see the headlines: godfather not present at the birth of the Greatest Child Ever because half-asleep 30 year old forgets ‘That Blanket’_

 **_Wonhoe:_ ** _GUYS please hurry up there is a baby coming out of Hyungwon_

 **_Kyunah:_ ** _Hyung please calm down_

 **_Eomma:_ ** _Hoseok-hyung just relax, we’re on our way_

Hoseok grins again despite the anxiety flushing through his veins. This is just too surreal. He’s been waiting and waiting for this day to come and now that it's finally here he just can't seem to believe it. In a little while he'll be holding his baby in his arms and—

His phone pings again.

_Rinkmates  
Thursday, December 3, 2:51 AM_

**_Minhyukie:_ ** _Fricking heck I’m not ready to be a father_

 **_Eomma:_ ** _Minhyuk this isn’t even your baby_

 **_Minhyukie:_ ** _PUH-LEASE KIHYUN THIS IS EVERYBODY’S BABY_

Hoseok laughs again.

He stays relaxed backwards into his chair for the next few minutes. He feels his phone vibrating but doesn't bother to answer it or check the texts. He just lets himself breathe for a little bit, trying to get his heart rate back under control, but every time he manages to slow it down he remembers Hyungwon's in labor and his heartbeat picks up speed again in nervousness and excitement.

Hoseok sits alone in the hallway for a little while, maybe thirty minutes. Eventually the buzzing of his phone gets irritating and he puts it on Do Not Disturb. He keeps glancing at his phone clock, finding himself restless and anxious. He gets up and paced a little, not really sure what to do with himself. He really just wants to be by Hyungwon’s side.

He jumps when the door to the room opened. The nurse pokes her head out and smiles warmly.

“Is he ready to push?” Hoseok asks before she has a chance to say anything.

“Not yet, but he’s asking for you. He’ll be in labor for a few more hours,” She says. “Would you like to come in now?”

“Yes. Yes please,” He nods feverishly and the nurse steps aside to let him into the room.

Hyungwon is still lying on the gurney, which has been pushed against the wall. He's connected to several things via tube—a heart monitor, an IV, the works. He looks tired, his cheeks are flushed, and he's almost swimming in his oversized hospital gown—Hoseok has no idea when he’s changed into that—but he smiles as best as he can as Hoseok approaches him.

“Hi,” Hyungwon says. “Ready to be a daddy?”

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Hoseok says, then moves to take Hyungwon’s hand.

“Ah, sir! Please put these on,” The nurse holds out a set of scrubs to Hoseok. “It’s a sanitary precaution.”

Hoseok quickly slips the med mask on, puts the scrubs on over his head and feet, and slips the tunic on over his nightshirt. At the nurse’s okay, he sits down in the chair next to Hyungwon and takes his hand.

“He’s been in labor for about two hours now,” One of the midwives helpfully informs Hoseok. “If everything goes accordingly, he’ll only be in labor for a few more hours.”

* * *

Hyungwon ends up being in labor for nearly five more hours after Hoseok is let into the room. About thirty minutes after Hoseok went inside, he was informed that family friends had arrived and were waiting in the hallway. Of course, Hoseok and Hyungwon both knew that already—Minhyuk was anything except quiet, especially when he was excited, so they could hear their friend group in the hallway even through Hyungwon’s groans and yells of pain that got louder during every contraction. After he hears Minhyuk yelling about being nervous, Hoseok realizes he’d forgotten to tell his parents and Hyungwon’s parents that Hyungwon is in labor.

Hyungwon, who is breathing heavily through a contraction, bursts into teary laughter.

“Text them now,” Hyungwon giggles through the pain and tears. “My mom will kill me and you and take the baby for herself if she realizes she wasn’t informed right away.”

So Hoseok texts his mother and Hyungwon’s mother and really, he should have expected their reactions—by the time he sends them each texts it's nearing seven in the morning and both of them are already awake. After a few minutes of being berated over text, Hoseok is informed that they're on their way. They arrive at the hospital within the next forty five minutes.

After one more hour, at about eight in the morning, a tall doctor decked out in blue scrubs, a white coat, and a medical mask pushes his way into the room and pulls down his mask.

“Good morning, Hyungwon-ssi, Hoseok-ssi,” he says. “I am Dr. Hwang. How far along are we?"

The question is directed mainly at a few of the nurses. Hoseok feels butterflies explode in his stomach.

“Just about ready, doctor,” one nurse replied. “Only a little bit left now. Hyungwon-ssi, are you nauseated at all?”

“A little,” Hyungwon confesses, his chest rising as he sucks in a long breath. Hoseok kisses his temple.

"You’re at nine centimeters, which is about the transitional stage in labor,” the nurse continues. “At this point it won’t be much longer before the baby arrives.”

Hyungwon opens his mouth to reply but then his entire body tenses and he curls in on himself, shouting in pain. Hoseok is quick to take both his hands. Hoseok and another midwife coach him through the contraction, coaxing him to take deep breaths through his nose and exhale through his mouth. Soon the contraction passes and Hyungwon turns glassy eyes to the doctor.

“Hyungwon-ssi, with this next contraction, it’s time to push,” Dr. Hwang says, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. Hyungwon takes a deep breath and settles himself back against the pillow.

“Already?” Hoseok asks.

“His body is designed to do this and it’s doing it well,” The nurse says cheerily. “Hyungwon-ssi is lucky for his first birth—most omegas stay in labor for nearly twelve hours. He’s only been in labor for about six. From this point, birth won’t take too long now.”

“Ready?” Hoseok asks. Hyungwon nods.

“Yeah,” He breathes, and then almost crushes Hoseok’s hand.

* * *

The whole process only takes about thirty minutes. Hyungwon cries and screams and groans in pain but Hoseok is so proud of him. His hands ache but he's sure Hyungwon is in much more pain and he's being so brave that the pain in Hoseok's hands doesn't even matter to him.

At 8:58 in the morning, a baby’s cry split the air and Hoseok feels tears in his eyes almost instantly. Hyungwon collapses back against the pillows propped up behind him, crying and laughing and panting in relief all at once.

“A baby girl,” Dr. Hwang says proudly, holding up the squealing infant.

All at once the midwives and nurses in the room rush forwards, cutting the umbilical cord and taking her from the doctor to give her a bath and weigh her. The baby screams the entire time. Hyungwon and Hoseok are both unable to look away from her, watching intently as she's passed around the room. Hoseok leans forwards and kisses Hyungwon’s temple.

“You did it,” Hoseok whispers. Hyungwon laughs tearfully.

"The baby is 5 pounds and 12 ounces," One of the nurses calls. "Almost 18 inches. A little bit underweight, but not dangerously so."

Hoseok feels like someone has kicked him in the chest when the nurse deposits the baby into his arms, bundled in the pink blanket with polka dots Kihyun had been forced to bring. Hoseok honestly has no idea when the nurses had gotten the blanket but everything else slips his mind when he cradles the baby to his chest. Everything around him freezes, his breath leaves his body, and he stares down at the baby in his arms, her big, dark brown eyes— _Hyungwon’s_ eyes—blinking curiously up at him.

He decides instantly that this was the greatest moment in his life.

It's better than landing his trademark quadruple Lutz in Olympic competition and better than the subsequent Olympic gold medal. It's better than when Hyungwon had said yes to his proposal and better than the feeling of kissing him at the altar. It's better than when Hyungwon won his first gold at Worlds, and better than when he won his second, and better than when he won his third in a row. It's better than Hyungwon revealing his pregnancy. Holding his baby in his arms trumped everything he’d ever experienced. 

Hyungwon reaches a shaky hand out to touch the tiny tuft of black fuzz that sat on the top of her head. A hoarse sob leaves his chest.

“My baby,” he whispers weakly. Hoseok felt hot tears running down his face.

The nurses and doctor let them have a moment to themselves before one of the midwives quietly approaches them, a slip of paper in her hands.

“Do you have a name picked out for her yet?” she asks, smiling gently at the baby.

“Yerin,” Hoseok and Hyungwon respond at the same time. Then both of them burst into shaky, wet laughter. The nurse grins and writes down the name on the slip of paper.

“There are just a few things we need to do regarding her birth certificate, and the doctor also wants to make sure both baby and daddy are okay, because she arrived a little early, but then you guys should be set for discharge and you can go home,” she says, smiling warmly at the little family. “Congratulations.”

“Um, excuse me,” a different doctor pokes her head into the room at that moment, looking a little harried. “There’s a group of people waiting rather impatiently outside this room, is it alright to let them in now?”

Hyungwon starts laughing. Seeing her dad so happy stirs a reaction in the baby in Hoseok’s arms and she smiles, a huge, toothless smile, her brown eyes crinkling at the edges. Hoseok just about melts into a puddle of tears and love.

“Sure,” Hoseok giggles, laughing despite the tears on his face. “They can come in.”

Pictures from that day makes their way into a scrapbook Hyungwon's mother begins almost immediately after taking Yerin home from the hospital. She and Hyungwon were kept for another day after her birth, just to be sure everything was alright, and were finally discharged the afternoon of Friday, December 4th—Seokjin’s birthday. Hoseok makes sure to send a video of himself, Hyungwon, and Yerin for a birthday gift. Seokjin is very pleased to learn she was born only a day before his birthday, claiming it to be an excellent surprise.

Hyungwon’s parents and Hoseok’s parents, Kihyun, Hyunwoo, and Minhyuk stay with them the entire time, while Changkyun and Jooheon go to Hyungwon and Hoseok’s home first to unlock the house and get it prepared for the baby. Hyungwon and Hoseok take pictures of every moment, a snapshot of each family member and friend holding Yerin, the baby in the carrier, the baby in the car. There's a picture for each minute.

Hoseok and Hyungwon stand at the side of the crib, tangled in each other’s embrace, looking down at the beautiful child sleeping on the mattress. Mr. Moose is clutched in her tiny arms. She's swathed in one of the lavender baby onesies Hyungwon’s brother had purchased, and the jellyfish necklace hangs from the baby mobile above her. Hyunwoo had requested they wait until her second or third birthday to start letting her wear it—he's worried about it choking her—so Hyungwon had looped it into the baby mobile so she’ll always see it.

“She’s perfect,” Hoseok murmurs. A fuzzy tuft of black hair rests on her head. Her nose is a little pink button. She has Hyungwon’s eyes. She's beautiful.

“She is,” Hyungwon presss a swift kiss to Hoseok’s lips, then tucks his head under his chin. “Our angel.”

“We’re gonna be the best parents,” Hoseok whispers. “Minhyuk said so.”

Hyungwon giggles. “Guess it’s true, then.”

“Guess so.” Hoseok smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this!!!! Thank you for reading~ Tell me what you think and what else you want to see!

**Author's Note:**

> Stay tuned for part 2!!! ily


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